FEDERAL WAY, Wash. — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) announced Monday that it would be building a temple in Federal Way.
Two years ago, the church announced a temple would be built in Tacoma, but did not announce an exact location.
The church said in a release that the temple would be built on an 11.6-acre site located at approximately 1405 South 364th Way. This location is just south of Todd Beamer High School in a residential area. It will be across I-5 from Wild Waves Theme Park. The site is currently a wooded area that is gated off.
The temple will be multi-story and 45,000 square feet in size. The City of Federal Way said the height limit for this property is 55 feet, with conditions.
“I think it'll be a beautiful spot. It's a very peaceful, tranquil area, not in the hustle and bustle,” said Jack Walsh, Federal Way City council member, who is also a member of the LDS Church. “I suspect that it'll be visible from the freeway.”
There are already four LDS temples in Washington, with the closest in Bellevue. In addition to the four already built, there is also another planned temple in Vancouver, Washington. Including the Federal Way temple, there will be six in the state.
“I found out about it yesterday when it was announced,” Walsh said. “I had heard that the church had purchased property here in Federal Way. So, we were thinking, ‘Hey, you know, that's probably the purpose of it.’ So, we've been kind of thinking it was going to be here for a while, but you don't know until it's announced.”
The most recent one was completed last year in Moses Lake, which is 20,000 square feet. The temple in Federal Way will be double the size.
“There's really no reason not to want it there," Walsh said. "With the temple, it doesn't bring a lot of heavy traffic to it. When we worship in the temple, it's in small groups, it's not a big cathedral where there's massive meetings.”
According to the church, there are more than 280,000 LDS church members across the state of Washington.
Federal Way city administrator Brian Davis sent KING 5 a statement saying:
“We are honored the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has chosen to locate one of their temples in Federal Way. We have benefitted from a longstanding relationship with the LDS Church and their large volunteer groups who are always willing to help during Earth Day events and numerous service projects that help improve our community.”
Only LDS members are allowed inside the temple, except on specific occasions. When a new temple opens there are usually a few weeks where the public is allowed inside some areas.
The construction start date and planned opening date are unknown.